Fire (A Companion to Graceling)

I was finally able to get my hands on Fire by Kristen Cashore, thanks to Amazon. I finished it in two days on a trip to sunny Miami - Part 1 on the way there and Part 2 on the way back. I'm not entirely sure whether reading part 2 was affected after two days of meetings, but I will get to that later.As always, first the good things. Kristin Cashore is a spectacular writer. I adore reading her books because of the flow, feeling and imagery. And I fall in love with her characters every time - you will recall my review of Graceling in an earlier post. In a similar manner, the characters of Fire just grabbed on to me taking me with them on their journey in the novel. Unlike my review of The Summoning earlier, this book as a bonified beginning, middle, and satisfying (oh, so satisfying) end.Fire is a companion book to Graceling, which means it is set in the same made-up world, just a different area - specifically on the other side of some really big mountains, and it keeps the link with Graceling by keeping one character, Leck (the bad guy from Graceling). So the brief story-line is that Fire is a girl who is a "monster." She lives in a fictional place called the Dells that has been torn apart by war, its previous king under the influence of Fire's power-hungry monster father, Cansrel. These monsters look very much like animals/creatures in our world except they have very bright, beautiful colors and most, if not all, are predatory carnivores. Fire is marked as a monster by her flaming red hair, which she keeps covered to minimize attention (and attacks from other monsters). With their hypnotic colors, they have the ability to lure prey (humans and other monsters) to them using mind control. Fire's power in this regard is extraordinary, and unlike her father, she tries to use her power for good instead of for evil.Fighting off devoted attention from literally every single human and even the new King, Fire has to learn how to control her powers, deal with her growing feelings for Brigan, one of the princes, and help save the kingdom from evil plotters.I loved the main characters, Fire and Brigan, as well as many of the supporting ones, like Brigan's daughter Hanna or Fire's father, Cansrel. I found the story to be well-thought out and exciting, keeping me interested. The idea of the monsters is truly a unique one, and I found that Cashore did a wonderful job executing the idea. I do have to note that I read mostly because of the relationship between Fire and Brigan - wanting to get to the point of where they would eventually get together. For me, I found that when they did, too many other things eclipsed the moment, and I felt that their love was overshadowed too much. I wanted MORE of just them and I didn't get it. The other thing that I want to note is that there are a lot of "relations" in this novel and quite a few pregnancies - maybe a smidge too much. Although in hindsight, the author probably emphasized this to highlight the fact that Fire took permanent measures to stop herself from ever having any offspring, which is a tragedy in itself.So back to Part 2 and my earlier comment. I felt that the second half of the book, though filled with a lot more action and war, moved far more slowly. That, combined with less romantic tension or even resolution, between Fire and Brigan, changed the pacing for me. I found myself skipping over pages looking for when she'd find him or he'd find her. That's probably the romantic sap in me, so someone else may likely not feel the way that I do.The book, though easily understandable in terms of language, has many complex elements and plot twists which make it hard to follow at times. However to some degree, this complexity does help to make the story richer and broader than just a vanilla love story.Fire is a romance with enough elements of action, drama, and fantasy to make it appeal to a wide range of readers. Well-written and well-executed concept. I give Fire 5 out of 5 stars. Check out this review and others on my site via my profile information.

Companion novels don't usually do it for me. If I am picking up the next book the author has written, and it is related to the first book, I want a sequel! I want the same characters, the same world, and a continuation of the story I loved so much in the first book. Fire by Kristin Cashore is not a sequel, and has almost no characters in common with Graceling, but it is an amazing new tale in a familiar, but still surprising world.While Graceling was about the seven kingdoms, Fire is set 35 years before Graceling in a kingdom called the Dells to the West of the seven kingdoms. The two areas are separated from a great range of mountains that leads to two very different lands and two very exciting stories. In the Dells, there are no Gracelings, but there are monsters. Monsters are a telepathic, beautiful version of any kind of animal or human. Their most distinctive features include brilliant, unnatural colorings, and a vicious craving for other monster flesh. Many households keep monster cats in shades of brilliant greens and blues that hunt monster mice is bright golds and shocking reds and pinks. Monster raptors are the biggest danger, as they don't just stick to the forests like the monster leopards and monster bears. They hunt everywhere and can pick a grown man right off his horse.Fire is the last of the monster humans. Her father, Cansrel, was a man who exploited his ability to explore and alter people's minds. In fact, he nearly ruined the kingdom of Dell before his untimely demise by controlling former King Nax and sending him down a cruel and drug induced path. While Fire loved her father, and knew she was the only person he ever loved, she was also well aware of his cruelty and the horrors he caused amongst the Dells. Now Fire lives with her former neighbor, Brocker, and his son Archer. Brocker raised her and taught Fire to only use her gift to protect herself- never as a weapon or a tool for pleasure or control.The Dells is in danger, however, from two militias that want the kingdom for themselves. These militias, led by Mydogg and Gentian, are threatening to kill King Nash and his brother, Prince Brigan, and take the kingdom by force. Despite Nash's obsession with Fire's beauty and Brigan's mistrust of the monster girl, they enlist her psychic help to ferret out the Kingdom's traitors. Even though Fire has managed for years to stay out of the spotlight due the obsession and rage her presence creates, she feels compelled to help the kingdom with her gift. Now it is a race to see if Fire can find out enough information before the kingdom is lost forever.I would like to rephrase the term "companion novel"... Fire needs to be referred to as the "Holy butt-kicking novel from the same fantastic world". This was a great story that not only held its own with the awesome Graceling, it might have surpassed the killer breakout novel! The characters are dynamic and full of surprises. The world is just as interesting as the seven kingdoms in Graceling, but there are new twists, surprises, and abilities around every corner. As much as I would have loved to see a sequel to the first book, I am thrilled to have this companion novel. While the genre is definitely "fantasy", the fantastic elements are not too far from reality to lose the less fantastic-minded readers.Like the first novel, the language and writing style is a bit mature. It would be best for grades 9-12. There is some intimacy and of course some violence and fighting, but none of it is overwhelming or gratuitously placed. It is all tactfully and delicately placed and described, but might make the story too mature for much younger readers. The story itself is not overly complicated, but some of the names can be confusing. it will, however, appeal to both young adults and adults. Fire lives in a world that not only fascinates me, but more accurately enthralled me! And now for Bitterblue...

Enemy to lover romance story

The first book was better the one call " graceling"

Libro molto bello e avvincente. Scorre piacevolmente ma deve perciò piacere il genere. Storia fantastica secondo me che ti fa immergere piacevolmente nella lettura con una trama per niente scontanta e ottima descrizione di personaggi e ambienti

Estoy algo molesta, se suponía que el libro venía en español, ya lo había acordado con un asesor, y al final llegó el libro en inglés...

Le livre est arrivé en très bon état et plutôt dans le temps par rapport au lieu ou j'habite (Afrique).L'histoire en elle même est top et bien écrite, dans la lignée de Graceling. J'ai aussi acheté Bitterblue qui m'a l'air d'être aussi bien!Bref, un achat qu'on ne regrette pas.